Guild Wars : The Iron Wolves
by RJimagines
Summary: Set in the year 1325 AE, this story follows a group of unlikely allies that must band together, as they try to uncover a dark scheme that would change their lives forever, for better, or for worse. But who is the hero, and who is the villain? The line bethween good and evil have never been so blurry.
1. Chapter 1

Two pairs of eyes followed the young man as he walked out of the Seraph headquarters, walking empty streets of Divinity's Reach at such a late night hour. Oblivious to their presence the young man continued on his way, full of rage and sorrow. Clad in heavy armor, one could easily mistake him for a Seraph and should someone make that assumption an hour earlier, he would be right. What set him apart from Seraph though was a piece of mangled paper he threw aside in anger as he was leaving. A paper that sealed his fate. He was no longer a Seraph. The men and women so devoted to the queen never truly accepted him. If not for what he was before, then for what he has become. And yet he held his head high. For him it was not a defeat, merely a sign that even those who should be most devoted to the survival of mankind were blinded, casting him out of their organization. In his mind it was the last straw, the final offense. After years of aspiring to become one of them, his dreams were shattered and in their stead a bleak reality, man without a future.

„Marcus Septimus? Is that you?" A voice called his name, from somewhere behind him. For a brief moment he thought maybe it was someone from Ebon Vanguard, a friend. He realized none of his friends were alive. Turning his head Marcus saw what could only be described as an juggernaut of a person. He saw their kind before on a few occasions. The woman was tall, even for a Norn and where armor, clothes and tattoos were not covering her body he could see excellent physique. Cold blue eyes stared at him from under a helmet adorned with stag horns. He could recognize those eyes anywhere. It was not because he knew who she was, but rather what she was. She had the eyes of a warrior. They have seen death and violence. They were just like his. Marcus answered without a word, with a nod.

„Your old commander wishes to see you. Drop down your weapon and come with me." Even her voice carried like a command. At the mention of his old commander, Marcus knew that she did not want to just see him. She wanted to finish what she could not just a few years ago. Without hesitation his right hand found the grip of an antique blade strapped to his belt.

„In that case, you can turn back and go back the way you came." He had no intention to obey this norn, no matter how menacing her presence was.

„You can either come with me willingly, or I can drag your beaten body to her. I am supposed to bring you alive, but that does not mean I cannot hurt you. It would be a poor choice to force my hand."

„Threaten me however you will, I would rather die standing than to be executed like a traitor."

At that moment they both knew that a battle was inevitable. When the norn woman drew a greatsword that was almost the size of her, and swung it around casually as if it was but a toy, Marcus realized just how much more powerful his opponent was. As he unsheathed his own blade in response there was no fear in him. After all, there was only one last thing he could loose.

The first strike came as a surprise. Fast, precise, powerful. Marcus was barely able to move out of the way. As the norn attacked, her strikes were carried in one fluid motion by the weight of the blade itself. There was barely any opening in her posture, and Marcus knew that trying to retaliate would be suicide. He had to come up with something though, and fast. He could not avoid her forever and she showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. His opportunity came, as she raised her blade overhead for a devastating strike. Her blade came down and sure enough, clashed with something solid and the steel blade cried.

It took her by surprise. Her greatsword was stopped by a barrier of energy enveloping the man. He was free to attack, and she left herself wide open. A quick jab grazed her side, masterfully avoiding where armor covered her body. She would have been stabbed in the gut if not for quick reflexes. Putting some distance between herself and her foe, keen eyes tried to make sense of how that happened. There was merely enough space between them for a quick charge attack. It was too fast. Before the norn had time to react, her foe disappeared in a blinding flash of light, only to appear the very next moment in mid-air, as if he leapt the distance between them. Another quick dodge to the side, only this time not so successful. It was aimed at her chest, but instead it cut deep into her left shoulder. Blood and a cry of pain gushed out of the norn warrior. The human landed behind her, turning around and before she could react cutting her into her left thigh. Even when forced down on her knee, the norn was still dangerous. In a blind rage she swung her sword behind, turning around to face the opponent, only to find him standing just of the reach of her weapon. Clever. She was loosing control of the battle fast. They stared at each other for a while. It was clear to her that the human was about to repeat his daring attack.

Marcus was confident that his next attack would finish the norn. It was a mistake to think so. As he appeared right in front of her with another blinding attack, his body was sent to the ground by a massive force. It didn´t penetrate his armor, but he was left on the ground, reeling in pain. Only then he realized how he was struck down. The norn woman, even though blinded, knew where he would appear, and struck him down with her blade. She was shocked when she removed her opponent´s helmet and saw a man, no a boy. He couldn´t be much older than twenty years.

Marcus saw her surprise, but just for a moment. Her left arm wrenched the sword out of his hand with such a force that he thought she must have broken his wrist., while her right hand wrapped tightly around his neck. Marcus gasped for air, but it was futile. The unrelenting force that closed around his throat was quickly depriving him of air. His vision started to blur. In a desperate attempt he tried to release himself from her grip with his only free hand. He couldn´t reach her. So, this was to be his end. Choked to death in the streets Divinity´s Reach. Ironic. At such a late hour most people were asleep, and those who were not wouldn´t try to stop two armed lunatics trying to kill each other. Her grip tightened even more, and he felt his remaining strength leaving his body. He could barely see her anymore.

The pain was unbearable. She screamed, as she was hit into her ribs with such force, that it threw her away from her victim and onto the ground next to in a ball of pain, fingers of her hand found the spot where she was hit. No wound, no blood, no broken bones. But the pain was excruciating. All she could do was turn her head in the general direction of the attack. There it was, standing in the distance. A shadow, dark silhouette of a man. In that instant she realized what she was dealing with. A necromancer.

The moment the iron grip of the norn was gone Marcus took deep breaths, coughing. His would be savior walked towards both of them, casually as one would walk in a park. When the shroud of death dissipated he saw a young man, pale skin, black hair, single scar running from his forehead, across his right eye, down to his cheek. A nobleman, Marcus judged by his expensive taste in clothing. He knelt down between the two foes, his eyes jumping from one to another. Neither of them was in shape to stand up, let alone fight. Both of them passed out mere moments later. A brief, cold smile formed on the young man´s face.


	2. Chapter 2

Marcus woke up with a splitting headache, in a place he could not recognize. The room was luxurious, to say the least, which was only raising suspicions in him. He wondered if this mysterious young man was behind this. Sitting up in the bed, he realized he was wearing fine clothes, and his armor was on a stand in the corner. He resisted the notion to jump into it. Whoever was behind this meant him no harm. At least for now. Walking out of the room, he found himself in a long hall, lined with doors and at the end was a staircase leading down, Everything was almost in pristine condition. The paintings, the busts. Someone had a flair for art. As he stepped down the stairs and into a large hall, he could barely hold back the shock on his face. There was the young man, another human girl, and the norn woman that almost killed him. They were sitting on a sofa there, as merry as ever. Nothing he saw since he woke up made no sense whatsoever.

„I was starting to wonder when you would wake up. Care to join us?" Soft, melodious voice carried across the room, as the young woman spoke. Marcus didn´t trust anyone here, but at least they acted pretty friendly, so he gave them the benefit of the doubt. Not sure about the norn woman though, he sat as far away from her as possible.

„Just look at you darling, you must be terribly confused. Don´t worry, I will explain everything, as soon as our last guest arrives." The young woman mentioned yet another person, gaining interest of others as well. „Ah, and there she is! Don´t be shy my dear, come over here." There was a sylvari girl standing where Marcus was just a few minutes before, just with a lot less mistrust and a lot more curious look on her face.

Who were these people? And most of all why do they look so funny? Their bark was so weird, and they all had this weird fur growing out of their heads, One of them even had fur growing on his chin! And one of the two girls was so tall! Oh, she had so many questions. Quickly pacing down the stairs she sat down bethween two humans, the one with the funny chin fur, and the one who had very fancy clothes. Only the one with the chin fur looked very surprised. Maybe because she was staring at him for a good few minutes? She thought he must have been as confused as herself though, because he asked exactly what was on her mind too.

„Can somebody tell me what are we doing here and more importantly, who the hell are you?"

„By all means, allow me to explain." The young woman reached out to the table in front of her for a cup of tea sitting there for a while, and took a sip. „My name is Emma Heider. I, just like my father am a member of Shining blade. I took the liberty of gathering you here for single purpose. Trouble is brewing both inside Reach, and outside." She set the cup of tea back on the table, as her gaze shifted towards the odd group seated around her.

„Shining blade? Queen´s personal guard? Something tells me it is not bandits or centaurs you are talking about. And more importantly, since when Shining blade hires strangers to their job?" Marcus had the feeling he was about to be dragged into a lot of trouble. He was right.

„Indeed, we are not facing no ordinary foe here. In the last three weeks several of our agents went missing without a trace. Agents that were undercover in various groups for months. Agents that were trained so that they would blend right in. I have suspicion that we have a traitor in our midst. As for why did I choose the four of you? Well, the reason is simple. You are not Shining blades, and that is precisely why I need your help. Whomever is plotting against us knows us. And you, none of you are recognized within the city walls. You are nobodies, just faces in the crowd, easy to blend in." She rested her gaze on Marcus.

„Faces in the crowd...right, so why the norn and the sylvari? You realize they stick out like sore thumbs in the city, right? And she tried to kill me!" Marcus pointed at the tall norn woman, which gained him deathly glare from her.

„I brought them with me." The young, well dressed man spoke for the first time, his voice cold, unfeeling, his expression blank, as if he had no interest whatsoever in what was going on in the room. „I figured...the norn seems more than capable. The sylvari? Well, she owes me big time."

Marcus stood up quickly. „Well, good luck with that. I am out of here, I want no part in this." He had no intention of being dragged into this mess. As he walked away something stopped him. A hand on his shoulder. The touch sent chills down his spine.

„Marcus, think this through. We need your help. You were a Vanguard right? Are you going to walk away on this? This is no small task, I understand, but peope are in danger here. And I do not mean just Shining blade, but common people. Farmers, merchants, craftsmen. We cannot just ignore it." The young man smiled faintly, but it was so cold Marcus doubted it was genuine.

„Fine, I will help. For now. But you better be right." Marcus gritted his teeth. Helping Shining blade was not something he was looking forward to. Knowing them, it was going to be complicated and bloody. But if common folk were in danger as well, he was willing to risk it.

„All settled then? Excellent. Allow me to brief you then, yes?" Emma stood up, and smiled warmly. „One of our agents was killed in western commons, just yesterday. I want you to go there and find out what you can, and follow on it. All this is, however strictly off the record. The seraph will be there, and we cannot get to the body without raising suspicions. It is imperative Shining blade is not connected with the victim, otherwise it could blow the cover of other agents, with possibly disastrous results. Are we clear? I do not care how you get inside, just make sure you are not arrested. If you do, you are on your own."

„Kormir preserve us, this is going to end up badly." Marcus sighed. „Let me just get my stuff from upstairs."

Never before has she seen any house so big before. It was even bigger on the outside. And the garden! So many flowers, and even a pond. The sylvari girl could not help but be amazed, and casually strolled towards the wonders, ignoring both the human and the norn lady. She barely noticed when the guy called Marcus joined the two others outside, now in his armor.

„Hey! Sylvari, let´s go!" A voice called out to her. It was the funny dressed one. She was back in but a moment, smiling awkwardly at the people in front of her. They were all so serious. She did not understand all this talk about Shining blades and Seraph and what not. But it all sounded like adventure. She loved an adventure. That is why she came all the way from Grove to the human city in the first place. To see new places, meet new people.

„You can fool around in the garden later, allright? We have a job to do now."

She nodded at the funny dressed guy. He seemed to be a little bit creepy, cold. But he helped her when she was about to get mugged just yesterday. Only an hour in the city and she was already in trouble. He showed just in the nick of time, sending the thieves running with his magic, so he can´t be that bad, she judged. She did not even ask for his name, come to think of it. Quickly snapping out of her thoughts she realized the rest of the group was already on their way, and she had to catch up again. And just like that, her adventure began.


	3. Chapter 3

She didn´t like him. Not because they fought, that would be negligible. But something was odd about the guy named Marcus. His short, curly, brown hair looked like he just woke up and the stubble on his chin made him look a bit older than he actually was. His armor, however was well kept. Of course, there were the signs of long term use, and it looked quite old, but other than that it was in almost pristine condition. Quite the contrast, Sigrid thought. Regal armor, but the man inside it looked so unkempt. He didn´t seem to be at home in Reach either. He was also nervous around her, but she couldn´t blame him, as she nearly killed him. That was going to bite her in the behind later on, she just knew it. Either he would try a surprise attack, or, much more likely, face her directly. Marcus was not cowardly, that much was clear from their earlier confrontation. They were surprisingly matching in skill, and if not for her pride, Sigrid could say he was even winning for a while. She already knew what Marcus could do. But there was this other man, or rather boy.

He insisted that all of them should call him Kane, but that was obviously not his real name. He couldn´t be older than eighteen. Clothed in the finest silks. His very own mansion. Almost unbearable sense of superiority. He was definitely a noble. She had no idea how could he possibly be of any use, but since he hired her, and for no small amount of gold, the least she could do was to stick around and wait untill the whole operation falls apart like a house of cards. Sigrid didn´t like to fail her jobs, but she could tell this one was doomed from the start. She saw him stop to buy an apple in the market. He gave the apple merchant quite the chills. He spoke only little, and his voice sounded so cold, and disconnected it was almost eerie. No, not just his voice. It was the whole of him that gave off that feeling. The way he walked, the way he talked, even how he looked at somebody. His green piercing eyes seemed to lack the spark of life.

Then of course, there was the Sylvari. Anya, she called herself. Wet behind the ears. The whole fish out of water look. This one was definitely a kid. Not physically, of course, with her being a sylvari and what not, but the way she acted. Eyes wide open, staring at almost every mildly interesting thing or person like it was the discovery of a lifetime. It was completely beyond Sigrid how this naive twig got tangled in this whole mess, not to mention stick around the young noble. Sigrid decided that if anybody needed protection, it was her. Even though she had that weird creature following her. It looked almost like a hound, but not quite, as it was very similar to sylvari, very plant-like in its appearance.

„Kane, was it? Can I ask you something?" Marcus turned his attention to the well dressed man. He didn´t reply anything. „How come we were hired? I mean this Norn here and me. You and Emma decided to hire us, just like that? You have that much trust in complete strangers?"

Marcus couldn´t get it through his head. It was too damn suspicious.

„You, Marcus were chosen a while back. We did extensive background check on you. Quite curious, come to think of it. Ebon Vanguard. Impressive combat skills. Expert in shock combat. From what I have seen, you stood up to Sigrid here quite well. But that´s about it. No mention of family, or friends. We couldn´t even find to what unit you belonged to. Or what commander you served under. That doesn´t exactly incite trust, does it? Or are you perhaps implying you are not trustworthy?" Kane replied calmly, without as much as a glance to either of his companions.

„What? You were digging in my past? That is no-" Marcus was cut off mid sentence.

„Silence. There it is." Kane pointed at the house not far from them. Marcus didn´t find it one bit suspicious. It looked like any other house in the district. It didn´t standout out in any way whatsoever.

„That´s it? Looks pretty normal to me."

„Exactly. You don´t find it suspicious there are no seraph guarding a crime scene?"

„You are right. That doesn´t look good at all. Might be trouble." Marcus tensed up. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Drawing weapons in the middle of a day on a busy street no less, would be stupid. He quickly moved to the door. Kane followed him closely, as well as the Sylvari.

„I´ll stay here. Watch your back. Wouldn´t fit in there anyhow." Sigrid said, as if trying to justify her disinterest. The Norn woman leaned on a nearby house, casually watching the rest of the group. She would be more of a hindrance than help inside anyhow.

Marcus tried to open the door. It was not locked, and the wooden door creaked slightly as he pushed it open. All three quickly snuck inside, and closed the door behind them. Nothing out of the ordinary either. At least on the first glance. One door leading to a room on the left, and in front of them kitchen, and stairs leading up. Kane motioned to Marcus and Anya to keep quiet, as he opened the door to the bedroom. The large bed was already occupied, but the two seraph laying on it were not going to wake up ever again. Two small stab wounds in their necks made sure of that. Their blood painted the sheets with crimson red, and started to drip down on the wooden floor slowly.

„Oh, gods. These are fresh. Which means..." Marcus did not finish his sentence. Quickly putting on the helmet strapped to his belt, he moved upstairs, as quietly as possible. Kane nodded, and moved inside the bedroom, seemingly unfazed by the grisly scene. The same couldn´t be said about Anya. If the bark on her face could get pale, she would look like a ghost. Standing there, with a terrified expression on her face, she bent over and started gagging. Kane glanced back at her, as he was already searching the room for any clues, and sighed. „I think it would be best if you stay outside with Sigrid."

Anya nodded, and quickly rushed outside, closing the door behind her quietly, and moved towards Sigrid. When she saw the Sylvari approaching her, apparently shocked, she raised a brow. „What´s wrong, Twig?"

It took Anya good two or three minutes to stop gagging, and regain her composure. „There were...dead people inside. S-somebody k-killed them." She replied quietly, as she kneeled down and hugged her sylvan hound, tightly. Baast tilted his head slightly at his master. He never saw her like that before. He didn´t understand, but he certainly didn´t mind the hug either.

There were two rooms upstairs. Marcus didn´t have to choose which to check first. The doors to the one on his right were slightly open, and he could hear movement inside. He opened the door ever so slightly to take a look. Two persons, both clad in white. Lightly armored, assassins he assumed. His attempt to surprise them fell short however, as one of them noticed him. There was a brief surprise on Marc´s and his face both, one masked by helmet, the other by cowl. The very next instant Marc found himself staring down the barrels of two pistols. A loud crack, and then a hail of bullets. Every single one hit the metallic surface of a shield, ricocheting off. Before the masked man could make another move, that very same shield bashed him with such force it toppled him. A sword followed close by, and the assassin too, like the seraph downstairs was painting the floor with his blood. Marcus turned his ire on the other one, but he was too quick. The window facing the street open, and the trespasser already on the streets below, running away.

„Sigrid, Anya! Don´t let him get away!" Was all that he managed to shout, as he stared at the assassin getting away.

Anya managed to recover from her experience, only to be shocked my some noise. One of the windows on the house swung open, and from it a man leapt down on the street. This managed to get the attention of almost all the passing people, going on about their business until that moment. The crowd of spectators didn´t have a chance to grow, as the man was already darting off. Marcus shouted. Sigrid reacted almost instantly, getting in the man´s way, and reaching out to grab him. Too slow. He slipped right past her. She cursed, and turned to pursue him, but after a few meters, she realized she wouldn´t be able to catch up to him. It was but a moment, Anya snapped out of her surprise rather quickly. The very next moment she was after him. He would not get away that easily. Quickly catching up to him, as he made his way through the busy streets, bumping into people along the way. Anya on the other hand made her way through unhindered, as she rushed past most of the people. As she followed the man into a maze of tight alleyways and dark streets, he managed to corner himself in dead end. He stood still, as he turned around and stared at the Sylvari pursuing him. A brief smirk on his face, that couldn´t be seen. He used all his strength and run against the wall, in what appeared to be futile effort. Untill his feet met the wall, and he managed to pull a few steps up the wall, in his momentum. Hands found solid support on the wall, and he was already almost at the top. His hand reached over the wall. He would get away. Then he felt a pull on his legs. The sylvari did same as him, and grabbed onto his feet in doing so, pulling him down. He almost lost his breath, as they both came crashing down. Only he managed to get up quickly. Turning towards the other side of the alley, seeing the street, and his freedom. After a few steps he stood still, almost petrified, as a shadow of a Norn loomed over him. There was no way to avoid her now, in such a tight space. A quiet sight escaped his mouth, and he slowly raised his hands up, resignating.

Quickly searching through the room, he grabbed a few things he deemed important and made his way out, and didn´t even have to fetch Marc from upstairs, as he was already down, and they met just before the door.

„Let´s get out of here, before more Seraph show up, and we end up taking the blame." Kane said, and Marc just nodded in agreement. He was eager to get out himself. As both of them stepped outside, they met with many questioning, shocked and even angry faces. Ignoring them, they both rushed in the direction of the escaping man.

The group met up soon enough, and with a prisoner no less. There was no time to waste, they had to get out of the city before the word of what happened got to the seraph guarding the gate, or there would be no way out for them. And strangely enough, they managed to do so. As they were passing by, one of the Seraph saluted to Marcus. A gesture he wouldn´t understand, not at the time.


End file.
